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Syracuse playing on the West Coast for an Atlantic Coast Conference game seems ironic. That’s the reality of the new look ACC. It’s also a reality that not all 18 teams make the conference tournament. Three programs will not play in Charlotte, North Carolina, on March 11 and with each passing game, SU’s chances of missing out become larger.

Although, those chances did shrink on Saturday night as Syracuse (10-12, 4-7 ACC) defeated the University of California, Berkeley (11-11, 4-7 ACC) 75-66. The Orange led by 17 points at halftime and withstood a comeback attempt from Cal in the second half to hold on. Lucas Taylor led the way with 19 points, while J.J. Starling added 18. Despite having nine more shot attempts due to 17 offensive rebounds, the Golden Bears shot just 28.6% from the field, while Syracuse shot 46.3%.

“I just thought our whole team, everyone that got on the court today, contributed,” Syracuse head coach Adrian Autry said postgame.

Prior to its victory over Cal, SU sat in 15th place in the ACC, just one game ahead of Boston College, which defeated Florida State earlier in the day. Virginia also sat half a game behind the Orange following its loss to Virginia Tech. Saturday wasn’t a must-win for Syracuse, but it would calm some nerves surrounding its ACC tournament fate, especially after its 70-61 loss to Stanford on Wednesday.

It did just that. The Orange’s win helped them rise to tie for 11th place with three other teams in the ACC. Across SU’s final nine regular season contests, it plays each of the conference’s bottom four teams (Miami, Virginia, Boston College and NC State).

Against the Cardinal, Syracuse surrendered the first 17 points and fell behind 25-2 just nine minutes in. Facing Cal was a different story.

This time around, SU started with more urgency. Starling — coming off a 3-for-16 performance — got to the rim on back-to-back possessions to get SU on the board. Lucas Taylor deposited a midrange jumper before Elijah Moore drilled a 3-pointer to make it 9-0 Syracuse three minutes in.

Without its leading scorer Andrej Stojaković for a fourth-straight game, Cal never gained a rhythm in the first half. It finished with four field goals in the first half, two of which came from Jeremiah Wilkinson, who finished with a team-high 20 points.

It took Syracuse a while to take advantage, but eventually, the Orange pounced. With five minutes remaining in the first half, Jyáre Davis scored in the paint to put Syracuse up 28-17.

Taylor and Moore then connected on 3s — part of a 5-for-9 effort in the first half — while Eddie Lampkin Jr. sealed off his man down low to increase Syracuse’s lead to 33-17. The advantage was SU’s largest in conference play.

To cap off one of the best first halves it played all season, Starling hit a 3-pointer, giving Syracuse a 40-23 lead.

Coming out of the break, Cal’s backcourt tried to help it claw its way back into the game. Jovan Blacksher Jr., who finished with 20 points, knocked down his first two field goal attempts of the half. Trying to answer, Taylor lost the ball while maneuvering through the paint, leading to a transition chance to Wilkinson. The freshman skied in for a tomahawk jam, forcing Autry to call timeout with Syracuse’s lead getting trimmed to 13.

Within four minutes of the start of the second half, Cal already had more made shots than it did during the first 20 minutes. Wilkinson followed up his dunk with a 3-pointer from straight on. The shot took an awkward bounce off the rim and somehow fell. An 11-0 run from Cal got Syracuse’s lead down to 43-36.

Starling stopped the bleeding with two straight floaters in the lane, bringing the advantage back to double digits. Another driving lane opened up for Starling soon after. The point guard took this chance, going left, muscling home a finish while getting fouled, putting Syracuse up 47-36.

The Orange prevented Cal’s early burst in the second half from snowballing into anything, and their 17-point lead was restored by the under-12-minute timeout. After that, Syracuse hit another offensive lull. Kyle Cuffe Jr. converted a layup to put SU up 18, but it went the next four minutes without a field goal.

Cal slowly tried to chip away at its deficit. Its second 11-0 run of the half ensued, capped off by a Blacksher 3, bringing the Golden Bears within seven with seven minutes left. Syracuse managed to hold them off down the stretch, though.

Starling fed Lampkin in the post to bring the lead back to 10. A couple of minutes later, Taylor drilled his third 3 of the game, making it 67-54, which seemingly put the game to bed. Cal initiated a full-court press, leading to seven straight points, but Taylor and Starling didn’t miss on four straight trips to the free-throw line to seal the win.

Syracuse’s expectations used to be set at making the NCAA Tournament. Now, it’s scraping by wins to try to bring it to the ACC Tournament. It’s a harsh reality Syracuse has to face, but for now, Autry wants to keep his team battling no matter where it ends up.

“Quitting is not even in our mindset. We’re gonna keep competing until the season’s over with,” Autry said.

Published on February 2, 2025 at 12:26 am

Contact Zak: zakwolf784254@gmail.com | @ZakWolf22